Opinion on a Schrade 8801

I have been reviewing and documenting my collectables for the last few days. (What a ton of fun.) While looking over 1 of my Schrades from the Heritage Series, I got a surprise. I noticed something like a strike through on the tang stamp, and then I noticed that the scales were different colours. The front is brown and the back is green.

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Back in the 80's ,after the first run of the Heritage line, Schrade made a second run of parts knives, from left over components. They over stamped the Heritage tang stamps with double X's , and sold them as surplus, bremished knives or seconds. Our local Sears outlet sold them for $8-10 for small patterns and 14-16 dollars, for the larger stock, whittler and trapper. We bought several dozen and sold them at the Memphis and Nashville gun& knife shows. Buyers called them "Schrade double XX".

I guess I should have been more detailed in my post. I apologize in advance for how long this note will be.

I posted in the Stockman Group about this knife on September 29, 2010. “Factory Second Collectable?” was the heading. James Cole replied the same day with some wonderful suggestions that I willingly followed. I had bought the knife from Jay’s Knives and Jay offered me the opportunity to keep the knife and get a refund of $50. I kept the knife and used the $50 to buy another Stockman from Jay.

I have researched Schrade knives, including the Heritage Series, online as thoroughly as I can. I have learned there are many blemish-free Schrade knives that bear some contradiction, or an XX on its tang, and are nevertheless kept for their quality and uniqueness.

So, why did I post on January 27TH? As you will see in my photos, the tang apparently has 1 X, kind of on its side, and it is not distinct. All the pictures and messages about Schrade seconds I have seen involve 2 well-defined Xs. And I recall someone posting (not here, maybe Bladeforums) that a salesman might carry a sample of the Heritage 8801 with 2 of the available scale colours. (It’s OK to smile here.)

After 6 years, I have been unable to find a flaw in the fit and finish of this knife. The shield is dated 1983 (1st year). BUT, the “Everlastingly Sharp” etch is missing. So, I was posting about this knife to find out if a story about a salesman sample is silly or not. I’m leaning toward silly because the clip blade etch is missing. Though, for the life of me, I can’t figure out why it would be a second.

A few of us have tried but we have been unable to open the pics. Can you either actually post them here (second icon on the left at the top of the text box) or send them to me in an email and I will get them posted?

You probably already know this, but in case you do not, the employees at the Schrade cutlery were ordered to put together knives out of anything they could find in the last days before the bankruptcy sale. ???

Sometimes at the end of a year model if they had left over parts workers would assemble knives from different parts and stamp the xx or sometimes even grind the tang to show they were not production knives and were sold at a discount or distributed among employees. I have seen a single line stamped at the tang, I've seen the xx and a couple other variations of tang scratches or stamps or grinds. Most of these knives have no flaws at all, They were just assembled with blades without an etch or different color handles etc. Usually any altered tang stamp meant it was a second even though they don't have any real defects. Not so collectable but still a fine knife. Usually salesman samples had a "SS" stamped on the bolster. I hope this helps.

Sometimes at the end of a year model if they had left over parts workers would assemble knives from different parts and stamp the xx or sometimes even grind the tang to show they were not production knives and were sold at a discount or distributed among employees. I have seen a single line stamped at the tang, I've seen the xx and a couple other variations of tang scratches or stamps or grinds. Most of these knives have no flaws at all, They were just assembled with blades without an etch or different color handles etc. Usually any altered tang stamp meant it was a second even though they don't have any real defects. Not so collectable but still a fine knife. Usually salesman samples had a "SS" stamped on the bolster. I hope this helps.

I've seen them bring up to $45 for the double xx whittler and large stockman on eBay. But what they are to me, is a part of US cutlery history, that's lost and not likely to be repeated in our lifetime. When a quality product was more important than volume sales. Those flawed seconds are still better quality than many Schrade imports with soft back springs , liner gaps and Brades with unreliable heat treatment.